Crema's main economic activities traditionally (since the 11th century) related to agriculture, cattle breeding and making wool, but its manufactures in later centuries include cheese, iron products and cotton and wool textiles.
Crema's origins have been linked to theLombard invasion of the 6th century CE, the name allegedly deriving from the Lombard termKrem meaning "little hill", though this is doubtful since it does not lie significantly above the surrounding countryside. Other linguistic roots may suggest an older origin, in particular the Indo-European root meaning a boundary (cf. Ukraine, crêt). Other authorities trace its foundation back to the 4th century CE, whenMilan was capital of theWestern Roman Empire. According to another version, it was instead an even more ancientCeltic orEtruscan settlement.
Crema Cathedral
Crema first appears in historical documents in the 11th century as a possession of the counts of Camisano. It was then ruled byBoniface, margrave ofTuscany, and his daughterMatilde. In 1098, Matilde gave the town as a gift to theBishop of Cremona. During this period the prosperity of Crema's territory began as agriculture was boosted and the Humiliates' Order introduced the processing of wool, which was to be the area's main economic activity until the 19th century.
In 1159, after it had signed an alliance withMilan against theGhibelline Cremona, Crema wasbesieged, stormed and destroyed by the EmperorFrederick Barbarossa. The siege of Crema was marked by several episodes of brutality. The Germans hung some Cremaschi prisoners to their siege machines hoping the defenders would not fire against their fellows. However, this expedient did not work, and turned the battle into a slaughter.
After thePeace of Constance (1183) the city was allowed to be rebuilt as acastrum ("castle").Henry VI gave it back to his allied Cremonese. A period as a free Commune followed, during which, however, the tendency to partisan struggles, typical of the northern Italian communes of that age, soon showed. In any case, the city was reinforced with new walls, ditches and gates (1199), and a network of canals further improved agriculture. In the 13th century Crema was also enriched with its famouscathedral and thePalazzo Pretorio.
Santa Maria della Croce church
The communal independence ended in 1335, when the city surrendered toGian Galeazzo Visconti, whose family held the city until the end of the century. In 1361 Crema was touched by theBlack Death. A brief period of rule by the GuelphBenzoni family followed (Bartolomeo and Paolo from 1403 to 1405, then their nephew Giorgio until 1423). The seignory passed again to the Visconti, and, from 1449 onwards, to theRepublic of Venice.
As a Venetianinland province, Crema obtained numerous privileges and was safe from the economic decline of the nearbyDuchy of Milan under Spanish rule. It maintained a substantial level of autonomy, which allowed for a program of new buildings. These included a new line of walls, the rebuilding of thePalazzo Comunale (1525–1533), the Palazzo della Notaria, nowPalazzo Vescovile.
The 17th century saw the beginning of the decadence of the city, caused by the decline of its industrial activities, although agriculture continued to flourish. In 1796 an Academy of Agriculture was founded. After thefall of the Republic of Venice in 1797, Crema became part of the new FrenchclientCisalpine republic (and later the NapoleonicItalian Republic andKingdom of Italy). The French army deposed the lastpodestà and created a municipality. At first Crema formed part of the province of Crema-Lodi, but was later annexed to thedepartment ofAlto Po [it;fr] centred onCremona. After the Napoleonic wars theCongress of Vienna awarded Crema toAustria as part of theKingdom of Lombardy–Venetia. Within Lombardy–Venetia it became part of theProvince of Lodi–Crema [it] within the sub-Kingdom of Lombardy.
By the 1859Treaty of Zurich which ended theAustro-Sardinian War, Austria ceded Lombardy, including Crema, to France, who then immediately ceded it toSardinia. This formed part of theRisorgimento, which saw Sardinia become theKingdom of Italy in 1861. In 1946, the Kingdom became the modern Italian Republic.
Thetortelli cremaschi (dialect of Crema:turtèi cremasch) represents the main dish of the local culinary tradition. This is a kind of tortelli that doesn't exist elsewhere in Italy as the filling is sweet, consisting ofparmesan cheese,Amaretti di Saronno (an Italian almond biscuit),raisins, candied citron,spices and themostaccino (a typical spiced biscuit).
Also worth mentioning is thesalva, a DOP cheese typical of the Crema area, traditionally consumed with tighe (green Lombard pepper), packaged invinegar.
Poor dish typically consumed in winter, accompanied bycotechino (gelatinous pork sausage in a natural casing) or boiled meat, ispipèto (flan ofcabbage, butter, garlic, parmesan,nutmeg).
The main sweets of the city arethe treccia d'oro, theBertolina cake (Bertulina), a popular autumn cake made with red grapes, to which a square festival is also dedicated, and the noblestSpongarda, consumed throughout the year.
There were three national roads connecting the city: SS 415 to Milan and Cremona; SS 591 to Piacenza and Bergamo; andSS 235 to Brescia and Pavia. The nearest motorway exits are the one of Lodi-Pieve Fissiraga, on theAutostrada A1 and the one of Romano di Lombardia on the Autostrada A35 - BreBeMi, opened in July 2014.
The filmCall Me by Your Name (2017) was shot primarily in Crema. Several historical locations in the surrounding streets in Crema andPandino were chosen during production, including theCrema Cathedral.
Since local government political reorganization in 1993, Crema has been governed by the City Council of Crema. Voters elect directly the councilors and the mayor of Crema every five years.
The current mayor of Crema is Fabio Bergamaschi (PD), elected on 26 June 2022 with 58% of votes.
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